ECMAScript 6
A reference page summarizing the new features added in ECMAScript 6 (JavaScript 2015) with code examples.lukehoban/es6features
- Stars
- 29k
- Forks
- 2.8k
- Licence
- MIT
- Language
- —
- Last update
- 3.8 years ago
- Type
- Learning resource
No commits in over a year — check for forks or alternatives before adopting.
What it is
This is a written overview of ECMAScript 6, the 2015 update to the JavaScript language standard. It walks through each major new feature, such as arrow functions, classes, template strings, destructuring, let and const, modules, and promises, with a short code example for each. It is mainly useful for learning what changed in modern JavaScript and why.
- Look up how arrow functions handle this compared with regular functions
- Compare destructuring, default parameters, and spread syntax with the examples given
- Check how let and const differ from var in block scoping
- Learn the basics of generators, iterators, and for..of loops
Great for
- Developers who know older JavaScript and want a quick tour of ES6 syntax
- Students learning modern JavaScript concepts
- Developers reading legacy code that uses ES6 features and need a reference
- Teams deciding which ES6 features to adopt
Not ideal for
- Readers who need the full formal specification; the README points to the ECMA-262 standard document for that
- Anyone looking for a current guide to ES2015 and later releases, since the README covers only ES6 and was last pushed in January 2023
How to get it
- 1
Read it online
Clone the repository to read it locally
git clone https://github.com/lukehoban/es6features - 2
Run it
- Open the repository on GitHub and read the README in the browser
- Pick a feature from the list in the introduction
- Follow the linked MDN page for more detail
- Try the code examples in a browser console or Node.js
- 3
Get the most out of it
- Use the feature list at the top as a table of contents
- Follow the MDN links for each section to go deeper
- Run the examples in a JavaScript console to see the results directly
Downloads
Strengths
- Short, example-driven sections that are easy to skim
- Links to MDN pages for deeper reading on each feature
- Widely starred and referenced, so many readers have already used it as a starting point
Trade-offs
- The README is truncated here, so features after generators are not covered in this analysis
- It is a collection of notes rather than a tutorial, so beginners may need additional explanation
- Some examples are dated in style, and the repository has not been updated recently
How it compares
| Project | Stars | Type | Level | Updated | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| es6features (this) | 29k | Learning resource | beginner | 3.8 years ago | Developers who know older JavaScript and want a quick tour of ES6 syntax |
| babel | 44.1k | Dev tool | intermediate | 4 days ago | Web developers who want to use recent JavaScript syntax while still supporting older browsers |
Stats synced from GitHub. The assessment above was drafted with AI from the project's README on 2026-10-29 and may miss recent changes — check the README before relying on a command. MIT licence: free to use, modify and distribute, including commercially, as long as you keep the copyright notice.